Snow and ice removal tool



J1me 1963 L. A. SCHROEDER 3,091,790

SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL TOOL Filed June 1, 1962 I i -10 1"l 3 1 I V 4 g; #a 5 it F g; E? EH 2 E! g i INVENTOR. E Lesa-E2 A. $c1-u2oeoexz i 5 BY 4 g ATTORNEYS 3,091,790 SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL TOOL Lester A. Schroeder, 600 N. Douglas St., Appleton, Wis. Filed June 1, 1962, Ser. No. 199,439 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-105) This invention relates to a tool for removing snow and ice from the roofs of houses, and in particular to a tool which maybe effectively employed by an operator standing on the ground.

Although the problem of accumulated ice and snow is a serious one, of long standing, people in general have preferred to tolerate the conditions, hoping for the best, rather than to run the very grave risks involved in operations involving climbing onto the roof. As a consequence, the snow often piles up in a heavy mass on the roof, which is detrimental to the structure, and also to shrubbery and people, in the event .of an avalanche, and these conditions are aggravated by periodic thaws and freezes, which seriously increase the proportion of ice.

It thus becomes important to control the situation by early removal of the accumulation on the roof, and it is a general object of the present invention to provide means by which the average householder can readily accomplish this end.

More particularly, it is an object to provide a scraping implement, transversely disposed on an elongate handle, whereby a cleaning action may be applied to all portions of a roof by an operator standing on the ground.

Another object is to provide a scraper with a sectional handle, whereby the reach may be varied to comport with the dimensions of any particular roof.

A still further object is to provide a double-action tool having a flexible blade edge for scraping snow, and a rigid, serrated edge for breaking up sheets of ice to facilitate its removal. A related object is to provide a scraper as aforesaid which will not be injurious to a roof, whether scraping, or breaking up ice.

These and other ends, which will be readily apparent, are attained by the present invention, a preferred form of which is described in the following specification, as illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a dwelling, showing an operator in the act of scraping snow from the roof, using a tool according to the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the scraper, broken and foreshortened.

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of the scraper head, taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, and showing the handle in cross section.

FIGURE 4 is an axial, sectional view through the handle, at one of the joints, taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, there is shown a tool comprising a curvate working head, indicated as a whole by the numberal 10, and an elongate, sectionalized handle, indicated generally by the numeral 12. The head 10 comprises a sheet or plate 13, preferably of aluminum, .or other light, tough, non-corrosive material, in the form of an arcuate segment of a cylindrical surface of substantial radius with curved side edges 14, and the handle 12, also preferably of aluminum, is secured, as by welding or other suitable means, to the head plate 13, on its concave side, centrally thereof. Due to the span of plate 13, and the small area of contact with the handle, cross-bracing is supplied, in the form of a pair of diagonal struts or braces 15, secured at one end to the handle on diametrically opposite sides thereof, and on their other ends to the underside of the head, adjacent the outer, straight, working edges 16, 17 thereof.

As seen in FIGURE 3, the respective straight edges :of the head are of different construction, one edge being serrated, to provide teeth 18, for breaking up masses of ice, and the other edge carrying a flexible flapor pad 20, of smooth, relatively stiff rubber, leather or similar material, adapted to provide an efficient, wiping action with out damage to shingles or other roof surface.

As shown in detail in FIGURE 6, the flap 20 is sandwiched between the outer surface of sheet 13 and a clamping strip of aluminum 22, medially bent, as at 24, so that the outer portion 26 is spaced from sheet 14 to provide a pocket for the flap, which latter is secured in the pocket by a series of rivets 28, or other suitable means. The outer portion 26 of the clamping strip extends somewhat beyond the edge of sheet 14, to provide a backing for the flap 20, while providing a suitable expanse of the flap, on its working side, to avoid any contact by the sheet '13 with the roof surface.

Due to the fracture properties of ice, the teeth 18 are preferably blunt-edged, and this circumstance has additional merit in the matter of avoiding damage to the roof. Thus, the teeth are truncated, rather than sharply pointed, and the bluntness is further maintained in the flat, outer edges 30 of the teeth, which are substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of the teeth. Obviously, the size, shape and number of teeth are susceptible of variation, within the concept of shattering the ice with a minimum of time and labor, and the exact form of the outer edges of the teeth may also be varied, consistently with the same end, and with the avoidance of damage to the roof.

For variation in length, to suit the demands of particular jobs, and also for ready storage and portability, the handle 12 comprises a series of telescopically-enclconnected, tubular sections 32, which maybe identical in length, and each comprising a male connection at one end and a female connection at the other. Thus, in FIG- URE 4, the lower section 32 has a reduced, upper end portion 34, received in the lower end of a section 35, which latter, being attached to the head plate 13 has no connector element at its other end. The sections are locked against both axial movement and rotation by means of a pin 38, carried by a leaf spring 40, secured at one end to the inner surface of reduced portion 34, which constitutes the male element, and the pin adapted to pass through registering apertures 42 and 44- in the neck 34 and tube 36. As a further means of locking the parts against rotation, which is necessary to properly control orientation of the head plate 13, and also to provide a guide for registering the pin 38 with its receiving apertures, the tubes 32 and 36, respectively, are provided with mating, longitudinally extending, inwardly depressed ribs 46 and 48.

In use, the handle parts 32 are snapped in place, in suitable number to provide a total length to reach the apex of the roof from the working position of the operator. In the case of a low, one-story cottage or bungalow, this position will probably be on the ground, but the advantages of the invention will be equally applicable, in cases where the operator resorts to a raised vantage point, as afforded by a ladder, or some form of platform, such as a truck or trailer bed, for instance. In the case of twostory houses, the use of the elevated position will be more likely.

If the load on the roof is comparatively fresh, only a soft mass of snow will be involved, and in such case it is merely necessary to scoop the snow downward along the roof, using the edge with the flexible wiper flap 29.

If the snow has become crusted, it is only necessary to apply an occasional chop with the bluntly serrated edge of the tool, to disengage a mass which may be scooped downward. In the case of ice formation-s, which may in some cases become evident only after removal of the overlying snow, a judicious application of the toothed edge at selected regions will sufiice not onlyto fracture the ice mass, but also to loosen its engagement with the roof. Much of the loosened ice will tend to slide off without further effort by the operator, and the residue can be scraped oil with the edge flap 20.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided a tool which is variable in reach to handle roof scavenging from the ground, and which has the dual capacity of scraping loose masses and of breaking up solid and adhered masses, all without injury to the root surface. In addition, the tool is highly compact, and thus adapted for convenient storage and ready portability. I have found a six-foot length of handle section and a width of 2. feet in the head, to be convenient for most operations. The diameter of the handle should be in the range commen to hand tools in general, with consideration given to the avoidance of undue bending fiexure at the maximum operating lengths contemplated.

While a certain, preferred embodiment has been shown and described, various modifications will become apparent, in the light of this disclosure, and the invention should not, therefore, be deemed as limited, except inso far as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claim-s.

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for removal of snow and ice from roofs, comprising a working head of sheet metal in the general form of a segment of a cylinder, having a pair of curved side edges and a pair of straight working edges, one of said working edges being serrated, with teeth truncated at their apices in edges generally transverse to the opposite surfaces of the head, and the other of said working edges having a metal strip on the convex side of the head, with a portion spaced from the head and extending beyond the edge thereof, a strip of flexible material secured between the said spaced portion of said strip and said head, and extending beyond the outer edge of said metal strip, a handle secured at one end to said head, medially thereof, and on the concave side thereof, a pair of bracing struts secured at one end to said handle on diametrically opposite sides thereof, and with their other ends secured to the concave side of said head adjacent the respective said Working edges, and a plurality of handle sections telescopically attachable, in tandem, to

4 said handle, said sections having lock means arranged to prevent their relative axial movement, and lock means arranged to prevent their relative rotation.

2. A tool for removal of snow and ice from roofs, comprising a working head of sheet metal in the general form of a segment of a cylindenhaving a pair of curved side edges and a pair of straight working edges, one of said working edges being serrated, with teeth truncated at their apices'in edges generally transverse to the opposite surfaces of the head, and the other of said working edges having a metal strip on the convex side of the head, with a portion, spaced from the head and extending beyond the edge thereof, a strip of flexible material se cured between the said spaced portion of said strip and said head, and extending beyond the outer edge of said metal strip, a handle secured at one end to said head, medially thereof, and on the concave side thereof, a pair of bracing struts secured at one end to said handle on diametrically opposite sides thereof, and with their other ends secured to the concave side of said head adjacent the respective, said working edges, and a plurality of handle sections telescopically attachable, in tandem, to said handle.

3. A tool for removal of snow and ice from roofs, comprising a working head of sheet metal in the general form of a segment of a cylinder, having a pair of curved side edges and a pair of straight working edges, one of said working edges being serrated, with teeth truncated at their apices in edges generally transverse to the opposite surfaces of the head, and the other of said working edges having a metal strip on the convex side of the head, with a portion spaced from the head and extending beyond the edge thereof, a strip of flexible material secured between the said spaced portion of said strip and said head, and extending beyond the outer edge of said metal strip, a handle secured at one end to said head, medially thereof, and on the concave side thereof, and a pair of bracing struts secured at one end to said handle on diametrically opposite sides thereof, and with their other ends secured to the concave side of said head adjacent the respective, said working edges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 323,730 Phillips Aug. 4, 1885 2,347,963 ONeill May 2, 1944 2,603,892 Fischer July 22, 1952 3,023,692 Brock Apr. 10, 1962 

1. A TOOL FOR REMOVAL OF SNOW AND ICE FROM ROOFS, COMPRISING A WORKING HEAD OF SHEET METAL IN THE GENERAL FORM OF A SEGMENT OF A CYLINDER, HAVING A PAIR OF CURVED SIDE EDGES AND A PAIR OF STRAIGHT WORKING EDGES, ONE OF SAID WORKING EDGES BEING SERRATED, WITH TEETH TRUNCATED AT THEIR APICES IN EDGES GENERALLY TRANSVERSE TO THE OPPOSITE SURFACES OF THE HEAD, AND THE OTHER OF SAID WORKING EDGES HAVING A METAL STRIP ON THE CONVEX SIDE OF THE HEAD, WITH A PORTION SPACED FROM THE HEAD AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE EDGE THEREOF, A STRIP OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL SECURED BETWEEN THE SAID SPACED PORTION OF SAID STRIP AND SAID HEAD, AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID METAL STRIP, A HANDLE SECURED AT ONE END TO SAID HEAD, MEDIALLY THEREOF, AND ON THE CONCAVE SIDE THEREOF, A PAIR OF BRACING STRUTS SECURED AT ONE END TO SAID HANDLE ON DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF, AND WITH THEIR OTHER ENDS SECURED TO THE CONCAVE SIDE OF SAID HEAD ADJACENT THE RESPECTIVE SAID WORKING EDGES, AND A PLURALITY OF HANDLE SECTIONS TELESCOPICALLY ATTACHABLE, IN TANDEM, TO SAID HANDLE, SAID SECTIONS HAVING LOCK MEANS ARRANGED TO PREVENT THEIR RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT, AND LOCK MEANS ARRANGED TO PREVENT THEIR RELATIVE ROTATION. 